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The Book of Five Rings

By Miyamoto Musashi

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About the book

The Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi composed this guide to kenjutsu and the martial arts between 1643 and 1645, in five volumes named after the godai of Buddhist esotericism: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind and Sky. Earth uses the building of a house as a metaphor for leadership and training; Water sets out his own style and its basic technique; Fire deals with timing in the heat of battle; Wind criticizes rival schools of swordsmanship; and the brief Void closes with thoughts on consciousness and the right mindset. Musashi dismisses technical flourishes, insists his principles hold for a duel or a large battle, and urges practice over reading. Some business leaders find its view of conflict relevant to their work.

Joe Rogan listed it in a 2016 post on X. Ryan Holiday included it in his 40 books for young and ambitious men, describing it as more than a sword manual, a study of the mindset and discipline needed to win when life is at stake.

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This book has 4 recommendations

Ryan Holiday (Founder/Brass Check)

Widely held as a classic, this book is much more than a manifesto and manual on swordsmanship and martial arts. It’s about the mindset, the discipline, and the perception necessary to win in life or death situations. As a swordsman, Musashi fought mostly by himself, for himself. His wisdom, therefore, is mostly internal. He tells you how to out-think and out-move your enemies. He tells you how to fend for yourself and live by a code. And isn’t that precisely what so many of us need help with every day?

Recommended by Bill Liao (General Partner/RebelBio, SOSV.com)

Source: Book-talk with Bill Liao, General Partner at RebelBio, SOSV.com

Stephane Grand (Managing Partner/S.J. Grand Financial and Tax Advisory)

I do not believe there are business and non-business books. Business is life, you do business like the man or woman you excavate from the person you are told you are. Hence, the most potent business books are not about business, in my opinion. What makes a great business book is that it is a book that helps you find a better version of yourself. Therefore, I would say that my favorite business book is Miyamoto Musashi’s Book of Five Rings. It is an amazing inwards look at how to win battles.

Joe Rogan (Podcaster/Joe Rogan Experience)

On Joe Rogan’s Joe Rogan (@joerogan) post on X/Twitter, 2016-01-23

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